At least two other novels, The Catalogue of the Universe and The Tricksters, bear similarities to Dangerous Spaces.

Concerns of family and the continuity of family history in ancestral houses form primary themes. Mahy is most successful delineating young, female protagonists, although Anthea is somewhat younger than Harry in The Trick sters and Angela in The Catalogue of the Universe. Because Anthea is a younger character, the novel lacks the aspects of romantic love found in the other two novels. The intensity of the fantasy element varies as well, but Mahy regularly insists on exploring the mysterious, almost mythical quality of our lives.